The Gladstone Board met last Monday, October 10th for their monthly board meeting and were questioned by Tom Edmonds about the board's action in September where they voted to discontinue his recycling bins in their village.

After the board said they had donated the property where the bins were located to the fire department for training purposes, Edmonds said, "I would forgo three months fees if you would relocate the bins" to another site.

Edmonds understood there had been some problems with people dumping a mess at the sight and it wasn't cleaned up.

He told the board a phone call to him, and he would have taken care of the problem had he known.

People from Fort Madison, Iowa unloaded trash at his Dallas City bins, he said and he was called and asked to come, and he did.

"I work 24/7," he told the board.

Edmonds said his competitors charge customers $3 per household in Stronghurst and "they only pick up every other week and then they will only pick up a little bit of stuff," he said.

The bins are costing $150 a month to Gladstone for everyone who wants to recycle, there is no limit how much people can recycle.

Edmonds was told by the board that it runs into money at the end of the year and Oquawka and Burlington, IA folk have been dumping regularly into the bins at Gladstone's expense.

Edmonds said, they are paying the same as if they weren't dropping things off - its a set fee.

The drop-off at Stronghurst is hit day and night, Edmonds said.

We take recyclables and turn it into product. They are paying $700 a ton for drinking water bottles and we like to see a lot of plastic. And shredded paper is paying $175 a ton. This is an industry based in Henderson County and the money earned does not leave it.

President Stewart said the city also pays $50 a month for a worker to keep things cleaned up which has also been an issue.

Edmonds said people in Gladstone have told him the recycling has been a wonderful service, but something happened a year ago, he wasn't sure why, but he heard their clean-up person had said he didn't get paid enough to get his hands dirty.

"If someone would have called, I would have been right up," Edmonds said.

Edmonds further talked about the John Deere parts boxes inside the bins belong to him. He put everything together so he could offer this service.

"We got to get in there and clean it out with a lift-gate," he said.

Dick Bigger, Township Road Commissioner told the board that the township owns the recycling container and wasn't notified it was going to be discontinued.

We purchased it and Dehner built it and built doors at a cost of $3,000. You guys were suppose to take care of it," Bigger told Stewart.

It is for everyone in the township, he said.

President David Stewart suggested that Bigger and the township take it, and put it somewhere outside the village and the township maintain the fees.

Larry Johnson spoke up and said he was chairman of the county's solid waste and he knew nothing about it until Tom told him a week ago they were getting rid of it.

"We are paying Oquawka's recycling and for everyone else," Stewart said explaining since Oquawka stopped their recycling everyone there was dumping in Gladstone.

"The main thing is it gets too full, they put in big bags, the wind blows and it goes into people's yards. If we have trash blowing from our property, that is where it has come from."

Stewart continued, "We are done with recycling in Gladstone."

He also said he spoke to state officials and was told that recycling was not mandated in the state.

If they would only read what is written on the doors, but they just open doors and stuff things in, Stewart said.

Jill Colley, trustee, said, "We hate to take away a service that people use."

The police said there is more than Gladstone using the service at the city's expense.

Edmonds continued offering to pick-up if they call and Stewart's final response was, "The board voted against recycling, and it holds."

In other business it was said the local car wash was being foreclosed on.

That Matt Gray wanted a pop machine but since he wasn't presented to discuss it, it was tabled.

Halloween was discussed and set a wiener roast and Hay Rack Ride at the Gladstone Village Park on Saturday night from 6-8 p.m. and On Monday, Oct. 31st will be the village trick and treat night.

It was reported that most overdue water bills had been collected.

The six month contract of the Village Marshal Keith DeJaynes was up and the board voted to renew his contract after a closed session discussion at $14 an hour and he averages 15 hours a week with the village providing his car.

DeJaynes is Gladstone Chief of Police and Gulfport Chief of Police where he had 49 arrests, he said, and also works as a deputy sheriff for the county.

Trish Yeager reported of some problems between rural development engineers and the water project with the new well. He is working on straightening out the plan.

Carolyn Avery reported on her proposal for renovating the shelter house in the park.

She said Steven Lumbeck was doing the wiring at an estimated cost of $7,800 which includes a switch control box, replacing the lights under the outside eating area and installing 6 outdoor ceiling fans with enclosed lighting fixtures.

The switch to control them will be mounted inside the kitchen area, which will be locked when the building is not in use. These can wait until spring. Three ceiling fans with lights will be installed in the kitchen.

Plumbing is also an issue in the kitchen. There are 3 sinks and two are always leaking, a serious safety issue when people fall. So far, no broken bones have happened from sliding on the wet floor but Carolyn said it is better to make it safe than be sorry.

She reported the EC siding and restoration estimate is $9,100.00 and she is waiting on the actual estimate bid from Erwin Lee, an Amish contractor with his crew of 5 from Sciota. It will be for corrugated roofing panels and should last a long time.